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Japanese garden in Geylang is fine example of wabi-sabi
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(From left) Chief priest Shingako Kato and assistant priests Jozen Suenaga and Myosho Nakano in their garden at Nichiren Shoshu Buddhist Association (Singapore).
ST PHOTO: VENESSA LEE
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- Nichiren Shoshu Buddhist Association's garden exemplifies wabi-sabi, finding beauty in imperfection and age, central to Japanese aesthetics valuing simplicity.
- The Kaimyo-in Japanese Garden, a karesansui or dry garden, features raked gravel representing streams and rocks symbolising mountains, maintained daily by priests.
- Despite disturbances like theft, the garden reflects Buddhist teachings that happiness is internal, aiming to spread this awareness through its beauty and tranquillity.
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SINGAPORE – The garden in front of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhist Association (Singapore) is a fine example of the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi, says chief priest Shingako Kato.
Wabi-sabi finds beauty in things that are imperfect. The centuries-old aesthetic has been popularised outside Japan in recent times in areas like interior design.
